Switched
by The Nightdreamer
Summary: What if Diego's and Shira's positions were switched? Shira's in the herd, and Diego's in the pirates…how will that work out?
1. Break Up of Pangaea

Disclaimer: I do not own Ice Age.

Prologue:

A single sabre tooth squirrel scurried forth, gently placing his acorn on the ground. However, the minute it touched the ground, the ground cracked open, letting the squirrel fall inside, passing a weasel riding a dinosaur.

The squirrel screamed as he reached a large rock ball. He looked at his nut, and slowly walked to it, but the rock started moving. He stopped, before the nut moved, and he ran after it, starting a serious series of events.

The earth split into seven different continents, Italy forming into a boot, kicking a round piece of land, and a faint 'Goal!' was heard. Across Africa, giraffes' necks grew as the grass they were eating appeared on the other side of the chasm.

The squirrel hit one part of the room wall that the rock was in, and he slammed up, showing a statue like his face on the Easter Islands. He slammed somewhere else, revealing a pyramid, while the nose fell off.

He then slammed elsewhere four times, creating Mount Rushmore, before finally reaching his nut. He grabbed it, relieved, before his tail got caught in the rolling ball, and it twisted several times, before flinging the top part of Scrat's body onto a small gap in the wall, where the nut got caught there.

Scrat grabbed onto it tightly, not willing to let it go.

Slowly, the rock unwound, and he was flung up, before turning around to dive into the sea, only to hit an iceberg. As the iceberg broke, he paddled desperately to the other part, where his nut was, only to fail miserably. He screamed in frustration, before starting again.

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**AN: Chapters will be longer, I promise, this is only a prologue. Hope you like, and warning: Characters may be a little OOC, but I'm going to blame it on the fact that Shira and Diego's positions are switched. **


	2. Introducing the Family

Disclaimer: I do not own Ice Age.

Chapter 1: Shira's PoV

I stood on the peak of a high cliff, grinning brightly. I heard a faint rumble, before snarling. The sound echoed in the valley I was in, and I laughed, a smirk. "Ha! Beat that!" Suddenly, the rumble came again, and I turned, surprised.

A long vine caught me, and I screamed as we headed on a rocky unstable path. We hit trees, and I was faced with a laughing old sloth, who simply grinned a toothless smile at me. "Hello!"

I was then flung to the front, where I turned around, eyes wide as I caught sight of Peaches. I thought quickly, and grabbed the tree, slowing the log down, letting it do on it's front, narrowly missing Peaches, while the occupants were flung off.

I growled. I would not be embarrassed like this.

I lunged forward, grabbing the ugliest sloth. "So, which one should I eat first?"

The sloth stammered in fear, before Sid came forward, pushing the animals out of the way. "Hey! It's my whole familiar!" He hugged them tightly.

"The one that abandoned you when they migrated?" I asked, an eyebrow raised.

The female sloth shot me a glare, one which I returned, while she shook her head and laughed. "Yes, but we missed you very much. Isn't that right?" She asked out of gritted teeth, glaring at the one I supposed was Sid's dad, and he smiled nervously.

"Yep!" He hugged Sid up.

"So, what brings you here?"

The male one cleared his throat. "Well, we thought you wanted to see Granny before her time is up." His voice held fake remorse, but Sid bought it.

Meanwhile, Granny wasn't amused. She pointed her cane at us. "I'm gonna bury you and dance on your graves!" I found this quite amusing, but the family distracted Sid, before the dad looked around.

"Maybe you can show Granny your cave!" He turned around. "Where is she?" I struggled to hide my laugh as I saw the one who was probably Sid's brother burning an ant, and his Granny doing the same thing to his hair, before the son noticed and yelped indignantly, Sid leading his Granny away.

"Boy, Granny, I have so much to tell you!"

She waved him off. "Not interested." I hid a laugh, before I turned, seeing the family get back in the log.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Manny exclaimed. "Where're you going?"

"England. Times are changing, and Granny is just dead weight!"

"But Sid will be crushed!"

"Who cares?" The mother retorted, sticking out her tongue. They got the log ready, and took off. "We're off to Europe!"

I frowned. "Well, he'll be disappointed." At that exact moment, Sid and his Granny showed up. (Perfect timing, Sid). I frowned. "Let me."

Sid looked around. "Hey! Where's the rest of them?" I cleared my throat.

"Um, a meteorite hit them and they died." Peaches stifled a laugh, despite the situation, while Manny swung his trunk at me. I dodged out of the way.

"No, what Shira is saying," He said pointedly, glaring at me; I rolled my eyes. "Your family only came to you so that they can drop Granny off with you."

Sid seem to visibly droop. "No! No. That is…that is… that is completely like my family." He sighed, and I tried to look positive, though I knew I looked absolutely ridiculous.

"Hey, at least you still have Granny, right?"

Sid perked up immediately. "Yeah. Granny-Granny?" We looked around her, Ellie making a comment that I completely agreed with.

"Wow, for an old girl, she is fast."

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**AN: Ok, this whole thing is going to be from Shira's PoV. Large thank you to LionLover 23, TimberPaw and Shiego627 for reviewing!**


	3. Earthquake

Disclaimer: I do not own Ice Age.

Chapter 2:

I frowned as the ground underneath us started shaking. Sid slipped, and tried to cling on to me, but I growled and brushed him away. I froze as the ice beneath us broke off into a large iceberg. I turned to Manny and Ellie, who ha flocked trunks and were trying to keep together. Peaches was beside them, looking worried, unable to do anything.

As Manny was forced to let go, he got ready to jump, before I leaped in front of him. "Manny!" I snarled at him, can't believing that he would do something so stupid. Honestly! Boys.

"Get out of the way, Shira!"

"Are you an idiot? You won't make it!" Manny listened, looking down, before sighing, looking up, his expression distraught, matching the expressions of Ellie and Peaches.

"Meet us at the land bridge! We'll meet you there! No matter how long it takes, I WILL FIND YOU!"

* * *

The iceberg was in for a rough journey. We were tossed into the freezing ocean, somehow surviving as we came up, still on the iceberg. My sapphire eyes were wide open, and I was shivering as we continued our tumble here and there.

Manny desperately grabbed a branch from a tree on the iceberg with us and tried to paddle. "Hurry up! Paddle! We can still get to them-!" I rolled my eyes as Sid joined in. We were too weak, with the iceberg too big.

Boys really were idiots.

Sid sighs, but says optimistically. "Don't worry, Manny! My mother always used to say that bad news is good news in disguise." I growled.

"Was that before she abandoned you?"

This seemed to upset the sloth and send the tiniest of guilt creeping into my heart, but I shook it off as he mumbled a yes.

* * *

"Mom!" Ellie turned at her daughter's cry as she desperately looked around. "I can't find Louis anywhere!" Ellie hesitated, but after a quick debate internally, she nodded.

"Let's go find him."

As it turned out, Louis' scream drew the two of them to where he was, trying to creep down the cliff with the earth moving close up behind him. "Louis!" Peaches shouted, getting the molehog's attention. He looked down, eyes wide.

"Peaches!"

Instantly, he tripped and ended up clinging desperately to a branch. "Let go, Louis! I'll catch you!" Louis hesitated for the briefest of moments, but one look at the earth moving behind him had him let go, and, screaming, get picked up by Peaches, who followed her mother back to where all the other animals were waiting.

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**AN: Sorry to people who read the wrong chapter! Anyway…hope you enjoyed!**


	4. Captured

Disclaimer: I don't own Ice Age.

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**AN: Normally, I wouldn't do the note here, but just to answer a review (and wow, I didn't expect this much reviews):**

**Shiego627: Oh, Diego's coming soon. ****_Very_**** soon. ;P**

**And thank you to those who reviewed (GoldenSabre, LionLover23, Shiego627, Alicat123 and TimerPaw!) Long chapter (in my opinion) today. **

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Chapter 3:

A storm stirred up, the wind howling above and the waves moving, as if angry. Storms didn't faze me in the least, but I flinched violently as a large wave came over to us. Sid screamed something to us that I couldn't quite hear, but I think it ran something like, 'Keep your eye on the horizon!'

I scowled, and answered back, screaming at the top of my lungs, getting more irritated with him by each passing minute. "I can't see the horizon!" Sid settled down after that, but my eyes widened as a large crab suddenly scrambled onboard. I growled at it, while Sid ran to hide behind Manny, who stood threateningly in front of the crab. The iceberg twisted and turned, Sid clinging on to the crab. "Holy crab!"

He continued screaming as we moved up and down on the rocky waves. "Find me a wife and tell her that I love her!"

"In your dreams!" I snapped back.

As the storm cleared slightly, and the water that was gushing onto our iceberg drifted away, I faintly heard Sid. "Thank goodness we survived that, buddy-AHHH!" He screamed at the top of his lungs. I turned, only seeing the leg of the crab left. We were suddenly tossed up, and my eyes widened at the calm and peaceful weather.

Sid looked behind us, and I noticed a rainbow. "There really is a rainbow at every corner." I rolled my eyes at all of his cheesy comments, and tried to stop myself from screaming as we landed back on the iceberg, the storm passed.

* * *

"Are you alright, Peaches?"

"I just, will we survive?"

Louis smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry. We'll survive-" He was cut off as the two opossums, laughing, ended up falling over the cliff edge. They ran to the edge, where they were hanging on a branch, still laughing. Peaches turned to Louis, who put on a nearly comforting smile. "Well, maybe they won't, but everyone else will."

* * *

I panted, frowning, at the weather, before I thought I heard something from the tree on the iceberg. I walked cautiously to it, and put my head inside. "Hello?" My voice echoed strangely, before a stick poked my eye. "Ow!" I withdrew, frowning, cursing my slow reaction.

Granny's head popped up. "Can't a lady get any sleep around here?"

I looked at Granny in astonishment. "You slept through that?!"

She waved her hand dismissively. "Nah! I slept through the comet that killed the unicorns." She stepped up, Side scrambling to help her, before she stepped overboard, and our eyes widened. Sid looked down, worried.

"Granny!" He looked at us. "Do something!" Manny frowned, before throwing Sid overboard. I grinned.

"Good idea." Manny looked down; I did as well. Sid was swimming near Granny, hugging her.

"Come to Sid, Granny, let me take you back to the ship-" He got cut off as Granny whacked him with her walking stick. "Ow!"

"Don't ruin it for me, Sidney. This is my first bath in centuries!" Sid clambered on board, our eyes widening as several dead fish, a shark and an octopus came up, dead, from the colourist circle coming from Granny.

"And there's your proof." Granny then climbed on board, frowning.

"What are you looking at, you peeping toms?" We looked away, feeling guilty.

"What's the average life span for an elderly female sloth?" I asked, growling. Manny looked at me, the same expression on his face.

"Oh, she'll outlive all of us." We heard a thwack, and winced as Manny nodded. "Yep, the spiteful ones always live the longest."

* * *

Scrat shook his head groggily, and turned, seeing a skeleton. He shrieked, diving behind the single palm tree, before realising that the skeleton was dead. He looked in the direction of the skeleton, where he was pointing down.

Desperate, he somehow managed to find a large boulder to send him spiralling down to the bottom of the ocean, his body shrinking from the pressure of the ocean so far down, before he reached an acorn shaped map.

He picked it up, and, seeing the symbols, took several determined steps forward.

* * *

Sid bent down by the water, looking at the sea, gulping it down. "Sid, no!" Manny's warning was too late. Sid tasted it in his mouth.

"You know, this water is a little,' his face became smaller and more pinched. "Salty."

I rolled my eyes as Granny went around, calling for her pet. "Precious! Precious! Hey!" She pointed her cane at me. "Have you seen Precious?"

"If you are talking about the stupid imaginary pet, no." Granny went back to searching, before ropes, strong ones, attached themselves to our small iceberg, from where a larger ship loomed.

"Ahoy down there! How lucky are you? You know these seas are infested with pirates! Glad we found you before they did: Captain Gutt, here to help." I looked up at the crew before us. Very odd bunch, but I wouldn't underestimate them. I looked at them. A large ape was clearly controlling them, and I growled at the strings attached on our small iceberg. I looked at Manny, who gestured to the ropes silently. The ape looked down at us. "Surrender your ship, or face my fury!"

Sid, being the idiot that he is, replied stupidly. "Or face your furry what?!"

The ape seemed slightly exasperated and angry. "Not furry, fury!"

I slowly backed away, still looking at them. A kangaroo was there, with a sort of badger as a flag, an elephant seal, a rabbit, and a boar, all of whom were glaring at us. A male sabre-tooth was with them, looking bored at this, and glaring at Gutt every so often. His eyes narrowed dangerously as they turned to me, but I held my firm, before Gutt soon shouted.

I had to admit that he was good-looking, but there was no time for that now.

The crew immediately sprang into action, and the sabre-tooth somehow disappeared. I ignored the fact, and continued snapping the ropes while Manny, Sid and (As odd as it was), Granny held them off, trying to buy me time.

I was on the last one, when the sabre-tooth appeared, stepping forward in anticipation. He growled at me, slowly stalking forward. I looked him over. He had the orange/brown fur of the...alphas? and his hazel eyes gleamed.

He looked me over. "Epilson?" I was surprised, I'd give him that. I never knew a pirate would actually know who I was. He tackled me down, and was soon over me. I looked up, and he seemed slightly amused, though his expression remained stoic. "You're pretty soft for an Epilson, kitty."

I growled, but he knocked me out before I could say anything else.


	5. Escape

Disclaimer: I do not own Ice Age.

Chapter 4:

I woke up soon enough, seeing the crew gloat at me. I frowned, seeing myself tied to the mast, while Sid was trapped under another mast. Manny was trapped under the other one I was above, and a sort of squirrel-thingy that looked like a mermaid. I looked down as Manny woke up, and smirked.

"Morning." Manny groaned, starting to talk with Gutt. I looked around, not noticing the conversation, as my attention was drawn to the sabre at the side. I now had a better view of him. His expression was still stoic, and his orange coloured pelt was nearly glowing in the dawn. He had a long line of darker fur down his back. He was lean and muscular, and his hazel eyes watched us closely.

I frowned as my thoughts travelled to him. Dangerous thoughts. I frowned as the crew proceeded to go into an introduction song, which only had the sabre-tooth rolling his eyes distastefully, looking bored.

"I'm sorry, but I need to get back. If you can drop us off at the land bridge, that would be great." Manny demanded.

Gutt grinned as the crew stepped forward. "This is my first mate, Squint, Raz is my second mate here, Flynn, Gupta and Dobson." He grinned evilly, his teeth yellow and glinting in the sunlight. He then turned to the sabre. "That is Diego."

Diego's eyes narrowed, and I saw Manny turn away. I would've as well, but I got lost in those hazel eyes, ignoring the fact that Sid and Granny nearly had to walk the plank. His eyes were fixed on the horizon, and it was only then that I heard Manny hissing to me.

I nodded at his quick plan, surprised at why I didn't think of it before, and immediately started to try and stretch out as Manny struggled to turn the mast around. I managed to reach a rock jutting out, using it to cut myself free. Quickly and quietly, I released Manny. I turned to Diego, and Manny did as well, but we frowned.

Diego's hazel eyes were on us, but he was not at all trying to signal anything to the captain. He seemed to hold some sort of personal grudge against him, that might've helped us. Running over to the canons, we turned them around, and fired. The ship was soon blasted into smithereens.

I watched as Manny safely got onto an iceberg, and choked on a mouthful of water. Sid was soon on there safely, dragging Granny up. I frowned, before choking up sea water again. I started to sink as panic washed over me, new and frantic. Manny was looking at me desperately, trying to reach for me, but I knew it was too late. I had already submerged, and blinked slowly, trying to keep alive.

I blinked as I felt a strong pair of teeth grab the scruff of my neck and drag me up to safety, where I was unceremoniously dumped onto the iceberg. I turned around, and the three rushed to me in obvious relief. We looked at Diego, shaking his fur out.

He turned to meet our gazes, and smirked at me. "For an Epilson, you don't swim to well, kitty."

My eyes widened in anger, and I growled. "Don't call me that!"

Manny stepped in, looking at the sabre with curiosity. "Why'd you rescue her?"

He shrugged. "Don't know."

"That's a stupid answer." I growled, still angry from the earlier response. "You pathetic traitor." Diego's head snapped to me, and he growled.

"What is that supposed to mean?" He snarled.

"You're an Alpha. Alphas are known for their loyalty. And you betrayed them to become a pirate?!" I growled right back at him.

He pounced on top of me again, his eyes blazing with fury. "I never betrayed my pack, unlike you, who betrayed yours to join some band of…misfits." He spat, growling at me.

My eyes widened as he stepped away, still growling at me. "Whoa. Whoa." Manny put his trunk between us, and both of us glared at him, before Diego's eyes narrowed, and he stepped away, turning to the horizon, where the sun was still high in the sky.

* * *

"Hey, Peaches." Peaches stopped abruptly, before turning around from where she was hanging upside down from a branch.

"Ethan! Hey!" She tried not to sound overly excited as she fell to the ground and and hastily regained her footing.

"That's a weird way to sleep." Ethan looked at her, eyes glinting.

"No! No! I was just…thinking! You know, the blood goes to the head, and all.." She broke off, laughing nervously.

Ethan chuckled, before shooting her a smile. "Want to walk with me tomorrow?" Peaches' eyes widened.

"You? Sure!" Ethan smiled.

"'Kay. Just make sure that molehog of a friend isn't with you?"

"Hm? Louis? Sure!" Peaches then frowned, before nodding. As Ethan left, Ellie walked up, frowning.

"You okay, Peaches?"

Peaches nodded dreamily. "Yeah."

"So, you coming up?" Ellie asked, already hanging from the tree. Peaches looked sheepish.

"I think I'll sleep here for tonight, mom."

Ellie nodded slowly. "Sure. Good night, sweetie."

"'Night, mom."

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**AN: Hope this was satisfactory. So, to answer:**

**Shiego627: I'm not actually sure. I think, to me, Epilson is easier, since I'm using it, so…yeah.**

**TimberPaw: You'll find out soon. And yes, it will follow the main plot of Ice Age 4, but I will also add a little something at the back.**

**Thank you to those who reviewed (The ones above and GoldenSabre)!**


	6. Switchback Cove

Disclaimer: I do not own Ice Age.

Chapter 6:

Diego and I were walking along the beach, watching with amusement as Manny, with Sid as his translator, helped organise the Hyrax. "Funny, isn't it?" Diego's voice interrupts my thoughts.

"Hilarious." I watched them, before turning to him. "You hate the pirates?"

"What gives you the impression?" Diego's voice was sarcastic, but I answered anyway.

"You didn't give them the alert when we were escaping until he noticed. You don't seem eager to join them, even though you could run off at any moment." Diego shrugged at the answer I shot back at him.

"Personal grudge."

I looked at him. "Alphas aren't common, are they?" He shook his head, looking at me curiously. "They aren't common on land either. They stay at places where no other sabres live, yet they have a reputation of being the strongest. Why?" Diego seemed to hesitate. I snorted. "What are you fraud of? That I'll run off and find some pack to tell it to who is not Alpha?"

"Maybe." There was silence for a moment, before he spoke. "The Alphas were dying out."

That was not the answer I was expecting. "What?"

"The Alphas were dying out." He repeated. "Don't know why. There was some sort of disease that seemed intent on killing all the Alphas only. Others: Betas, Epilsons, Zetas, Deltas, all of them did not suffer from it."

"Why not?" I asked, confused. "Couldn't you heal?"

"Those who healed were crippled for life, and could not hunt any more for the pack."

"How did it start?"

"I don't know. Around the mountain tops, I suppose. After that, one of the sabres escaped, if what I heard was correct. They got it, and unknowingly passed it down to another Alpha pack away from the mountain tops. Then it passed as Alpha met Alpha."

My heart sank. I had a very good idea what he meant. I was adopted into a pack of Alphas on the mountain tops when I was young. When Manny, Sid and I escaped, one of them, I wasn't sure if he survived, was struck by some sort of poison that Sid made by mixing several poisons together.

I licked my lips.

"You ok, kitty?" Diego asked, head tilted. I hesitated, but then plastered on a smile. "No. Everything's fine."

"You left your pack?"

I frowned. "Yes. But the herd is basically the same thing, except for one thing." He frowned, tilting his head again, looking like-ok, stop there, Shira.

"What?"

"We got each other's backs, no matter what."

* * *

Gutt looked up as a horn sounded. They all looked up, eyes wide at the warriors who were charging at them, with a mammoth behind them. Gutt's eyes lit up as he ordered his cronies to escape.

Sid, on the bottom, as soon as the pirates left, tugged on the strings, putting them all in his hand. He reached out for some berries as Diego and I headed up where the Hyrax were caged. They started clinging onto me, but, for some reason, avoided Diego.

Diego was trying hard not to laugh, and I glared at him. "Don't you dare." Though I would probably look pretty funny because of all the Hyrax clinging onto me. He looked down, and his eyes widened.

"Sloth, don't eat-" Too late again. Sid had downed the berries, and he slowly became paralysed, even as Granny whacked him on the head. I looked up. The distraction wouldn't last much longer. "Manny!"

The mammoth came running up with the Hyrax. Manny groaned at the sight of Sid, and dragged him on to his back with Granny, who was laughing as the boat slowly moved away. I cringed as I ran along as well, the Hyrax now safely on the ship, and I still running behind Manny, with Sid's head hitting the branches that we passed under. Manny also cringed, but didn't stop.

Diego was right beside me, I could tell instinctively, and he was glancing back now. "Hurry!" Manny leapt aboard the boat first, dropped Sid and Granny, and grabbed onto a branch, forcing it into a chink in the ice of the cliff, trying to stop it for us.

"Are you coming with us?" I asked him. Diego smiled sadly, before nudging me.

"Go." A bad feeling was coming over me, but I ignored it and leapt up onto the ship. I turned, eyes wide as the branch broke, and the ship started moving.

"Diego!" He looked at me, a faraway look in his eyes, before he turned, and, snarling, tackled Gutt, buying us time to get out. The last thing I saw was Diego struggling, being tied up no matter how hard he fought by the remaining crew. I turned to Manny, who was looking as forlorn as me.

The last thing I heard as we exited Switchback Cove was Diego's growl, and then all was silent.

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**AN: And thank you for the reviews (TimberPaw, Shiego627, GoldenSabre, and Alicat123)! And now revelation…I think that Shira and Diego may be ****_too_**** OOC, but maybe I'll explain that later in another AN. This chapter is one of my favs, hope you enjoy!**


	7. Siren's Cave…and Land Bridge?

Disclaimer: I do not own Ice Age.

Chapter 7:

"I can't believe you! If all us were like this, it's no wonder we're going extinct!" Peaches shouted at them, before turning and joining her mother. "And there's nothing weird about being half-possum."

Ellie looked down at her. "Are you aright, sweetheart?"

"Mom, I messed up so bad, and Louis-"

"If you are friends with Louis, you will know what to say to him." Ellie smiled at her daughter, before turning and letting a comfortable silence envelop them.

* * *

I looked up at the night sky, sighing. "Shira?" Manny was looking at me, concerned. I forced a smile.

"I'm fine."

"Diego'll be fine." Manny seemed to read my thoughts. "He's strong."

"I know, but still. Gutt is as well." Manny merely smiled meekly at me, and turned to try and steer the wheel, rolling his eyes at something Sid had said. Something caught my attention, and I looked up, my eyes widening.

"Diego?" I asked, looking at him. Or at least, I thought it was him. A smirk was on his face, like usual, but something was wrong. I could faintly hear the others talking, but something seemed wrong about Diego.

Then he spoke, and all thoughts fled my head as I stared in wonderment at him.

"Shira, you take forever to come, you know?" Diego smirked, a small laugh escaping him. His hazel green eyes shone in the dark.

I frowned. Something was definitely wrong.

"C'mon, Shira." That was when it hit me. Shira. He called me Shira. He never did, only called me kitty. I turned, and saw that Manny, somehow, had come to the same conclusion about his, and had torn his eyes away from the scene.

He then turned to the wheel, and steered away from the ship. I ducked out of the way, watching with amusement as Sid ended up kissing Granny. I stifled my laughter as Granny smacked Sid with her cane. "Why are you kissing me?!"

"Because cruises are romantic?" He asked, nervously, before stumbling away, spitting out, and generally gagging. I turned to Manny, who smiled sadly at me, before steering the ship clear out of the way.

* * *

I watched as Granny pushed the food into the ocean before anyone could react, and groaned. There goes out supplies. We had woken up in the morning, only to find that Manny had kept awake all night.

Unsurprisingly, after seeing that, I had had a restless night as well. "Shira?" Manny asked, looking at me. "Something's bothering you. Something to do with Diego?" I needed someone to talk to, and Manny seemed the better option than Granny or Sid.

I sighed. "You remember that time that we killed Soto and the other three escaped?" He nodded slowly. "The 'poison' Sid made?" Again, a nod. "Apparently, when Oscar got it, he went and found another pack, an Alpha pack."

He looked confused. "Alphas are the sabres that I lived with. Diego's one of them. But I was adopted into that pack. I'm an Epilson." Even more confused. "The land of sabres is divided into 5 groups: Epilsons, Deltas, Zetas, Betas, and Alphas. Alphas were rare, but they were the strongest. Soto's pack was originally strong, before the humans killed half of us.

"Betas were the second. They were particularly good around forests, good trackers and hunters. Zetas lived alone in the valleys and canyons, and are fast runners. The Deltas were the ones around tall grass, places for camouflaging, so are good hunters, possibly better than Betas. Epilsons were the ones near the rivers, and are good at swimming, the one thing none of the others could do.

"But the Alphas were the best, even though they couldn't swim. They showed no fear. They were deadly predators. They were the ones who 'ruled', and all listened to them. They were the most feared, but they were also little in number."

Manny frowned. "How does that have anything to do with Soto's pack?"

"The 'poison' we made?" A small nod. "The poison was deadly. It was contagious." I saw realisation settle in. "As the sabres wandered, the disease spread. The Alphas hid away, trying not to catch it. But after 6 years, more than half of the Alphas died, and they are still going extinct. In fact, Diego is the only Alpha I have seen since the time of Soto and his pack."

Dread settled into Manny's eyes. "You mean that we killed them because of the thing Sid made?" I nodded slowly, sighing. "What about Diego's pack?"

"I don't know. He didn't say."

And that was the end of the conversation.

* * *

About half an hour later, Manny jolted up. "The Land Bridge!" We all saw it, but our hearts sank as we saw it. "It's broken. No! No! We have to meet them here. We have to."

And that was when we heard a voice. "Daddy! Daddy!"

"Peaches!" Manny looked up, seeing his daughter. A smile lit his face, but it fell immediately at Peaches' scared expression. Then, the last person I expected to see appeared. My heart sank even more.

"Now now, isn't this a nice family reunion?"

Manny growled. "Gutt."

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**AN: Hope this chapter was satisfactory. My explanation to what the different groups/packs are. And to KAMIKAKES: Nope! To me, Shira's a smart gal, and will know if something's wrong.**

**And thank you to those who reviewed (Shiego627, TimberPaw, GoldenSaber and LionLover23. [Oh yeah, and Guest: ¡Gracias!])!**


	8. Home

Disclaimer: I do not own Ice Age.

Chapter 8:

Gutt laughed, before turning to the audience, where they were all tied up. I scanned the pirates desperately for Diego, but there was no sign of him. I exchanged a look with Manny, but it was all that was needed before Peaches' friend stepped forward.

"Let her go!"

"Louis! What are you doing?!" Peaches struggled. Gutt laughed.

"How touching." He nodded to a crew member, who flung a dagger into the ice. "Defend yourself." Louis struggled to pull the blade out. A few shocked yet mocking faces greeted Louis, and I froze as I noticed a familiar silhouette creep from behind Gutt. But that wasn't necessary.

As the dagger flew up from the force of being tugged up, Louis disappeared into the ice, and came towards Gutt and his crew, scattering them. When Gutt turned, he was met with Diego, whose teeth were bared. I tried not to stare. He looked worse in every way. A long scar made it's way down his left side, and part of his ear was nicked. His glare, though was just as ferocious.

Gutt drew a dagger, and I lost sight of them amongst the chaos as I rushed to free Ellie. As I struggled with the kangaroo, Ellie managed to get her trunk free and smack the kangaroo away.

I managed to undo most of the rope that secured her, before Peaches came over, and I ran to get some of the pirates off of her.

Someone started chasing me, the skunk. And the rabbit. They approached me, and I ran, trying to get them off my tail. Sometime during the battle, all the pirates retreated, facing Manny and Gutt, both locked in combat. Ellie, I noted with relief, was safe aboard the ship.

The fighting animals on our side also retreated to the ship, all waiting for the winner to emerge. All hoping that it will be Manny. The pirates, on the other hand, cheered for Gutt.

Peaches was beside her, but I couldn't see Diego. I frowned, but Manny's fight drew my attention. As Manny was knocked to the side, Ellie's eyes widened, but Peaches was the one who screamed for him. Gutt approached, knife ready to plunge it inside of Manny.

My eyes widened, but a sigh of relief escaped me instead as Diego tackled Gutt, sending them sprawling to the other side of the ship. Gutt cursed as he stood up, dagger in hand. "Ready to die like your pack, Diego?"

Diego hesitated for the briefest of moments, but it was enough to send Gutt charging at him. Diego snarled, before shoving Gutt away, also shoving the bloodstained dagger away, Diego's blood covering the dagger. He ignored the cut in his left flank, and charged at Gutt once more, before sending him smashing into the cliffs. But Gutt wasn't finished yet.

With new-found strength, he grabbed a piece of ice from the scattered ice behind him, and flung it. But not at Diego.

At Manny.

Fortunately, he had forgotten that Manny had had time to move, and had deflected the ice blades. Gutt looked up in fear at Diego, who was glaring down on him, hazel green eyes glowing dangerously.

It was at that moment that I could remember why the Alphas were the ones who were the most feared.

Because the look on his face right then was murderous. I could tell, even without looking, that most of the animals either flinched or looked away, but they turned back as Gutt shook his head. "You wouldn't do it."

"Would I?" A brief smirk, before he sank his teeth into Gutt's neck.

Everyone turned away at the scream that Gutt voiced out, right before it fell silent. I couldn't breathe, even as Diego removed his incisors, looking at Gutt with a bland look on his face. Manny merely helped Diego back to the ship, where they sailed away, Precious helping push the ship.

It was only as we reached new land that I turned to Diego.

"Are you ok?"

A brief smirk graced his handsome face. "Are you turning soft, kitty?" I nudged him gently in the side.

"So, you coming with us?" I 'mocked' him. "Our band of misfits?"

"Don't seem to have any other choice." He smirked once more, before looking out at the land, a distant look in his eyes. "Probably wouldn't have it any other way as well."

* * *

Sid looked around in wonder, looking at the robed sabre-tooth squirrel squirrel, who spoke in a deep voice. "Welcome, brother. This is Scratlantis." Scrat looked around in awe at all of the acorns.

The acorns were used for measuring weights, for writing, even to use to pose as an artist drew an athlete sabretooth squirrel.

He ran around, shoving past people grabbing acorns from wherever he went, leaving nothing behind. He ignored the protests from the other squirrels, and dove into the fountain with acorns instead of water, standing on the statue which looked like traditional Greek statues, but not a female, instead, it was a squirrel. He sprouted out some acorns, before whooping and diving out of the fountain.

He approached the middle, jaws slack as he dropped all of his acorns. A gigantic acorn was in the middle of a square-like place. He ran over and tugged it, ignoring the squirrels' gasps of horror. The one who had welcomed him ran over to him. "Brother, stop!" Scrat turned. "Stop this madness! This obsession! Live like us!" Scrat seemed to consider this, before continuing to tug at the acorn.

As the acorn was tugged out, water came out of the hole that the acorn had previously wedged, like a sink. The water flowed out, making the island sink, and Scrat scrambled desperately to the top for air.

When he came out, he looked around at the dry land all around him, with the vultures hawking above and the sun hitting on him. He wanted to cry, but as soon as the tears came to his eyes, they evaporated, the sun was so hot.

A cry escaped him as he realised his situation. Not because of the fact that Scratlantis was gone. Not about the fact that he was in a desert.

But because he desperately missed his acorn.

* * *

**AN: Not over yet…going to explain what I imagine in Diego's mind later on in the next AN…promise…if it seems a bit confusing to you.**

**Anyway: TimberPaw - even if I wanted to, I ****_really_**** cannot imagine Shira being stupid enough to kiss Sid...**

**And thank you to everyone who reviewed (Shiego627, TimberPaw, Guest, and LionLover23)!**


	9. Explanations

Disclaimer: I do not own Ice Age.

Chapter 9:

A Year Later…

A growl woke me up. I turned beside me, where Diego was turning his face scrunched up in fear. I shook Diego, hard, and he shot up, letting the cool air of the night wash over him. I did not hurry him.

But, eventually, I asked. "Are you ok?"

"Fine, fine." He mumbled, turning over. I frowned.

"What is it?"

"Nothing." He murmured.

I forced his head round, staring into those hazel eyes that glowed in the dark. "Tell me."

Diego hesitated. "About my former pack."

"What happened to them?" I asked, but he seemed to hesitate even more, so I continued. "I'll tell you about mine, then. I was in a pack, Soto's pack. I ran away from my pack when they tried to force me to mate with another male sabre in our pack that I hated. But Soto's pack found me, and adopted me."

"Soto?" Diego asked, head tilted. "He was my cousin."

My heart sank, but I continued nonetheless. "Something stupid happened, and the pack and Manny plus Sid were caught in it. I was sent to fetch the stupid thing, and after Manny saved my life, I repaid them, and joined the herd."

"What happened to the pack?" He asked the unspoken answer.

I sighed. "Soto…he's dead."

Diego turned sharply to me. "He's…dead?" He asked quietly, as if not wanting to believe me. I hung my head.

"I'm sorry."

He turned away, looking up at the night sky, but he continued. "And the others?"

"Sid took care of them, mixing some sort of…potion? Poison, I think. He managed to get it somehow, into the mouths of the other sabres so…" Diego tensed up, and I didn't see the need to finish.

"The virus." His voice was low.

I nodded, swallowing. "I'm so sorry. I didn't know if Oscar escaped or not, and we didn't know it was contagious." Diego merely looked up, where the moon was still high in the sky. I spoke quietly. "Diego?"

Diego stood. "I need-" He hesitated. "I need to go for a while." Without waiting for an answer, he sprinted into the woods near the cave where the herd was sleeping. I stared after his retreating back, but didn't follow him. It was all our fault. If we hadn't done this, then…

I sighed and went back to sleep.

* * *

Diego only joined us the next day as we were preparing to sleep. Sid asked him what was going on, but he didn't answer, instead walking out of the cave and settling himself to sleep. Manny exchanged a look with me, one that told me he understood the situation very well. "Go."

I nodded, and went out to join him, where he was staring at the night sky. We were silent until the fire inside the cave went out, and all the animals closed their eyes and fell asleep. "Diego?"

Diego turned. "You told me. I'll tell you." He took a deep breath. "My whole pack lived near Switchback Cove, when the number of Hyrax were still pretty low. We were happy, and strong. Every once in a while, we would see if any visitors had come, or any pieces of prey. We usually found some, wandering by accident, until Gutt's ship came on.

"He demanded a plentiful supply of things we refused him. Of course, he tried to attack us, but underestimated us. We defeated him, but they ran before we could kill them. However, the next day, we had also underestimated him. He attacked again with his crew, a bigger one back then. He killed nearly half of the pack…" He took a shuddering breath. "Including my younger brother."

My heart dropped. "Diego, I'm so sorry-"

He shook his head. "It was fine. We killed some of the crew as well, and this happened again and again until I overheard Gutt planning what to do. I immediately offered myself up, as a sort of tribute in order to ensure my pack lived. He accepted, though I wasn't eager to. We left an hour after that. The next morning, from what I heard, the pack found us missing, more specifically, _me,_" Another shuddering breath. "I don't know what happened next. Now, they're all dead." I scooted up to him.

"You still have us." Diego let out a dry smile.

"I'll try to remember that."

* * *

**AN: Sorry for the abrupt ending, but I didn't really know how to put this, and I wanted this down before I lost the idea. **

**This is my thinking for Diego about his sudden explanation: Diego was snatched when he was young and was all alone when he was growing up, on Gutt's ship, yes? He doesn't want to appear weak, and so distances himself from people because he doesn't want to get hurt, but wants someone to confide in. This is where Shira comes in. He likes/loves her, and there is your explanation.**

**Thank you to those who reviewed (Favourite, Shiego627, TimberPaw, and GoldenSaber)! Hope everyone enjoyed the story!**

**Oh, and by the way, I'm thinking of doing a prequel or something for this story, for the herd's backstories, from Ice Age 1 all the way to 3? What do you think? I'll maybe post a short chapter or teaser for each one here, and you choose which one I will write first. Vote now on my poll!**


	10. Test Ice Age 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Ice Age.

And here's the trailer thingy:

The ice cracked, and the ice hill that he was on split in two.

He shrieked, clutching to his acorn tightly, hugging it adoringly for a second, before seeming to realise his situation and screamed once more, rolling down the hill.

* * *

Manny sighed, frustration evident. "Go on, then." He called after them as the rhinoceros family as they continued on. "It'll be a lot more quieter once you're gone!"

* * *

"Hey, you and I should stick together! We both got no one!" Sid exclaimed happily, but Manny merely shoved him aside.

"Number one, no. Number two, no. And number three, NO!"

* * *

"Isn't the baby adorable, Shira?" Soto turned to Shira, who growled, a smirk adorning her features as her sapphire blue eyes filled with malice. Her answer was easily as cold and as hard as his.

"It wouldn't be dinner without him."

* * *

"I want that baby, Shira!" The sabre leader thundered off. "Meet us at Half Peak!"

* * *

Sid cooed at the baby, before looking down in astonishment, Manny's expression mirroring his own. Nothing but the tranquil river filled their sight as they followed the current, only to see no one. "She's gone."

* * *

"I can take you to where the humans are going to camp."

"And why should we trust you?" Manny challenged, keeping his eyes carefully on Shira.

"Because you don't know how to get there." Shira answered, her voice serious. "But I do."

* * *

"Get the pack ready." Shira snarled at Zeke and Oscar. "I'm leading them to an ambush on Half Peak."

* * *

"Why would you save my life?" Shira choked out.

Manny answered, his expression, although panicked, an opposite to his calm tone. "Because that's what you do in a herd. You have each other's backs."

* * *

"Why?!" Manny demanded. "We trusted you!"

* * *

**AN: And that's the end of Ice Age 1. My memory of it is not very clear, and I don't have access to it here, so forgive me for any mistakes, since I watched Ice age 4 recently. The second one will be up either today as well, or tomorrow. **


	11. Test Ice Age 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Ice Age.

Here is Ice Age: The Meltdown:

Another hole popped out, and he tried to cover it, succeeding, even if it was only barely.

It happened a second time, and he shrieked, trying to cover the second hole.

* * *

"A hundred years ago, this place was covered with ice. Now, it is still covered with ice. And a hundred years from now, it will STILL be covered in ice!" Manny proclaimed, frowning at Fast Tony, who tried to cower behind his partner.

* * *

"The water's leaking! He's right!" Manny's voice was panicked.

"I am? I mean, of course I am!" Fast Tony quickly corrected himself, surprised at the sudden change in attitude that Manny had just had.

* * *

"There is a boat, on the other side of the valley. Reach it, and you're safe. If not…well, means that there are more for us to eat."

* * *

"C'mon, Manny, you could be the last of your kind!"

* * *

"Hi! I'm Ellie!"

* * *

"No, I'm an opossum." Ellie pointed to Crash, who was at her right. "Opossum." She pointed at Eddie, who was on her left. "Opossum." Then she pointed to herself. "Opposum."

* * *

"Excuse me, but since when did I join this dating service?"

* * *

"Manny, Ellie, lock trunks!"

Both backed away, disgusted by the idea. "What?"

The rock cracked even more. "Now!" Shira called out to them, her voice stern and commanding. Both reluctantly did so.

* * *

"You're scared of water." Sid sang, gleeful.

"Am not."

* * *

"Help! Manny, anyone, help!"

* * *

"He's the heart of the herd, and I wouldn't change anything about that."

* * *

**AN: How was that? Forgot to mention: The rest ****_will not_**** be in Shira's PoV, because there are ****_way_**** too many events that do not have Shira in them, so yeah. Changed my mind, posting the third one later. **


	12. Test Ice Age 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Ice Age.

This is the last one - Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs:

"Leaving the herd? What are you talking about?"

"I think that I'm losing my edge…I don't know, Manny, but I can't stay in the herd." Shira seemed reluctant, but Manny, still mad, just continued on.

"Fine. Leave. See what I'll do."

* * *

"First sign: Stealing someone's eggs is bad. Second sign:" His voice became sarcastic now. "One of them almost became an omelette."

* * *

"Can you do something other than ruin everything?!" Manny bellowed at Sid, who shrank back in alarm.

"Manny, they weren't trying to-"

* * *

Sid shrieked as the dinosaur carried him away, also holding the other dinosaurs by the tail. They whimpered at him as he tried to comfort them.

"Don't worry. Don't worry."

* * *

"Hi, I'm Buck. Long for-" He examined Shira's teeth, which she pulled away angrily from, but Buck continued oblivious as he forced her mouth opened and stared inside, his next words echoing strangely in Shira's mouth. "Buuuuhhh."

He then examined the rest of the herd, starting with Manny. "Short for Buckminster."

* * *

Buck smirked at the roar as the fire slowly died out. "Good night, Rudy." He placed his carefully carved dinosaur wood carving onto the floor, and looked around, before falling asleep himself.

* * *

"I don't mean to panic anyone or anything, but who's driving the thing?!" Sid shrieked. All three seemed to realise the problem at once.

Buck turned to get the Pteranodon down, but didn't succeed as the Pteranodon slammed into the ice above.

* * *

Shira grabbed Buck, before landing on the ground and thundering well away.

* * *

"There's nothing down there for me anymore." Buck looked sadly down.

Shira's voice was quiet as well. "You could come with us."

* * *

"Yes darling." Ellie smiled as the child mammoth walked around, laughing as the snow fell down on her. "Welcome to the Ice Age."

* * *

**AN: I know this is a little short, but still. This is the third and last one. Vote on my poll on which one is best, or leave it in a review! **


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